Samuel e



@niet rgerte @anni @fina SAMUEL E. JAMES, OF `SMITHFIELD STATION POST- OFFICE, OHIO.'

"Lata-8 Patemzvo. 62,136, daad February 19, 1867-.

IMIDROVEMENTIN GATE FASTENING. i

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TO ALL WHOM I T MAY CONCERN: y

Be it known that I, SAMUEL E. JAMES, of Smithfield Station PostiOlice, Mahoning'county,-State of Ohio, have invented a new and improved Fastening for Gates; and I do hereby declare that theV following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof', reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in whichl i l l Figure 1 is an elevation of one side `of a gatehaving'lny improved fastening applied to it. v

Figure 2 is a cross-section through the gate taken in the vertical plane indicated by red line rv, iig. 1, showinga sagging gate in tlie'act of bei-ng closed.

Figure 3 is 4a sectional view of the gatev Whenit is closed and fastened.`

Figure 4 shows the fastening which is applied to the gate post.'l

Similar letters of reference indicato corresponding parts in the several figures.

The object of this invention is to obviatc the inconvenience and labor'of fastening'and unfastening sagging gates, by the employment oi' a rolling support p'hich shall lift the gate in the act of closing it, and which shall serve, in eonjunctionwith a pawl'and a stop, as a self-fastening, as will hereinafter described. l

To enable others skilled in the art` to understand my invention, I .will describe itsv construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents an ordinary swinging gate, which may be constructed and 'hinged in any suitable manner. B B are the gate posts. B is the post t which the gate is hinged, and by which it is supported when open, and B is the postr to which the gate is fastened and by which it is supported at one end when closed. C representsa circular toothed wheel, which is applied to the inner face of the gate post B at a suitable point to support the gate A ina horizontal position, when closed, upon its highest point. This toothed wheel'is centrally pivoted to the gate post by a strong pin, d, so that it will turn freely, and it is prevented from turning in one direction by a gravitating pawl, b, which is constructed with a short handle or projection, b', by which a person can raise the nose of the pawl from the toothed wheel when it is desired to open the gate.- I secure a latch, c, to the gate picket, so as to project a suitable distance from the same to press upon the teeth of the wheel C when the gate is closed. This latch, c, isla-rounded pin, which is secured rigidly i to the gate A inhsuch a position that when the gate is closed and this pin, c, is supported upon the highest part of the wheel C, between the teeth thereof, as shown in figs. 1, .3, and 4f,l the gate A will be held in a horizontal position.. The gate Ais prevented from rising too`high, or from being'casually lifted too high, when it is closed, by means of a block, d, which is secured to the post B directly above the wheel C, as shown in g. 4. This block d is designed Vto prevent vthe pin c from being forced out of .its place on the wheel C, by pressing against the gate when it is fastened by pawl b. When the gate is brought to a position for being fastened it will be arrestedby thel pin g, which projects from the post B near its base, as shown in fig. 3. l 4

It'will be seen from the above description that when `the gate is closed the pin c will first enter a space between two of the teeth of the wheel C, and move this wheel until the pin c is brought to a position which is directly above the axis Vof sa-id wheel, when the pawl b will drop between the teeth-of the wheel, and thus lock and prevent it from turning backward. To release the gate again the pawl b must be raised free from its teeth and the gate pressed open. When the gate sags the pin c willengage the teeth of the wheel at a lower point, and. as the gate is closed the wheel will turn and gradually lift the gate to a horizontal position before the pawl b and pin g stop it. l i 1 I do not confine my invention to the pawl for locking the wheel C, as other devices may be employed whichwilloperate in a similar manner and effect the same result. i

Having described my invention, what I claimvas new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the pin or latch c, the toothed support C, and retaining device substantially as described and for thepurpose set forth. l

2. The block (l, arranged over the toothed wheel C, substantially as and for the purposes described.

' SAMUEL E. JAMES. Witnesses:

J. R. LUPreN, Buis CRIsPIN. 

